I wrote a few days ago that I would write a detailed report on the Czech Television coverage of the 134^th running of the Velka Pardubicka for readers who cannot read Czech or understand spoken Czech. I have since watched the video of the Velka many times, going over key moments time and again. I have concluded, however, that a detailed report might be heavy reading and unnecessarily long, and might even waste the time of my target readers. My target readers, by the way, are non-Czechs with some kind of professional or recreational interest in what seem to be the main issues in Czech steeplechasing. I also hope that some Czech readers, too, are interested in my views.

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When rewatching the 355 minutes of continuous coverage of Velka Pardubicka day, I realized that most of it did not deal with, or indeed even avoided dealing with, what I consider serious issues. It was light, pleasant, beautiful, and professionally done. Czech Television had sent out an enormous crew on the day to cover everything, and in the days before the race had also sent interviewers to several training centres and to Pardubice racecourse to make enquiries about almost all the 16 runners in the Velka.    

It was not the task of the horseracing people or of the television people to reveal problems. It was to provide an afternoon of entertainment, together with the solemnities of a major national occasion, and to attract youngsters and their parents to horseracing. As a long-time blogger on Czech racing, I became increasingly aware of what was being left unsaid and unshown. A little more about that later – I want to begin by introducing the presenters, who most cases, kept up a high standard all afternoon.

Czech Television’s horseracing expert is Libor Šimůnek. He is a former steeplechase rider, who rode 49 winners over a long career. Opportunities came to him slowly, but towards the end of his career, owners and trainers gave him more and better rides. In his first 8 seasons he had just 41 rides and a single winner, but then he gained some recognition and in the five seasons before he retired he rode 39 winners. I remember him riding several winners for Chris Richner and the Swiss Fans syndicate, and trainer Pavel Kinský. For a Czech journeyman rider, the long-term ambition is to ride 50 winners and earn  his title as a jockey. However, Libor's career came to an end after a fall in September 2012, one win short of 50. He is able to represent  grassroot Czech horseracing professionals who give much more to the sport than they take out. On VP day, as usual, Libor filled the horseracing expert’s role tirelessly, never at  loss for a good answer or comment, with a mix of humour and passion.   

The continuity man is, as usual on VP day, Petr Kubášek. He is, I think, a full-time television presenter, but he has been the continuity man on Velka Pardubicka day for many years. He is now very comfortable in that role, always pleasant, always helping the long programme to move on smoothly.

The man carrying out interviews in the paddock and on the course is Pavel Fučik. He was an amateur rider, and he works or worked in a bank. Everyone in the racing community is happy to communicate with Pavel, because he knows exactly what to say and what not to say, and he never upstages his interviewee. He has been as good as ever this year, in all of the racing that Czech Television has shown.

Marek Svačina is known to the general public as the voice  of the Velka Pardubicka. He has done the commentary on the Velka since the early 1990s, when he must have been very young! He is a full-time sports commentator for Czech Television, and he is also famous as a tennis commentator. When the Olympics come along, and CT needs a commentator for a sport few people have heard of, let us say kabbadi or one of the less well-known paralympic events, Marek is likely to step forward and commentate confidently. Marek is a genuine horseracing fan and member of the racing community, and frequently appears at our racecourses as a mere spectator. I have more to say about the commentary on the VP, but I will leave it until later.

The final member of the team of presenters was Jana Peroutková, in the role of fashion presenter. She is a moderator and journalist on Czech Television. I had never knowingly seen her before. She is a former athlete, and is linked with firefighter sports, which have a high profile here. Jana achieved the near impossible by interesting me in the links between fashion and horseracing. She carried out numerous and wide-ranging  interviews with racing people, and had visited some stables. She had prepared some good questions, and she looked terrific in a green dress with a broad-rimmed hat, which was soon replaced by what I am told is called a fascinator. fascinators headpieces - Search My mother used to use hairpins to keep a hairnet from blowing away – but I am sure she would have preferred a fascinator. I thank Diane Hill for explaining the fascinator to me. Diane tells me she uses them, and they are particularly practical and smart for open-air events. However, when she lends them to friends she never gets them back.

I want to focus on one interview that Jana Peroutkova conducted, with Beata Rajská, who is the Czech fashion designer who had designed Jana’s green outfit. The designer and the client agreed with me that Jana’s outfit was a big success! Beata had recently been to Ascot and had been impressed by the ladies’ and gentlemen’s fashion. The Czech Republic cannot compete with Ascot, Beata said. What is needed, she points out, is a tradition, separated spaces and a dress code. She might have added “and plenty of people with plenty of cash to throw around“.

When the Town Stand was built at Pardubice in 1998, there was a very limited budget, and architect Mirek Petraň’s design was aimed at the needs of the horseracing community and at opportunities to use facilities on non-racing days. The high society that meets once a year at Pardubice on VP day therefore has to brush shoulders in the corridors and compete for toilet space with some quite ordinary people. There are a number of small private boxes with a good view of the racing from spacious balconies.

Dostihoyý klub has a decent-sized room where members and their guests meet on every raceday, have a good meal and a good view of the racing. There have been attempts to  establish a dress code and an exclusive atmosphere in the club. However, the original idea of attracting a smart set met with members - including myself -  who did not want to spend their leisure time in anything mimicking the kind of exclusive zone that Ascot racecourse has. Much of the Czech horseracing community likes the traditional easy mixing at Czech racecourses, and would not want stratification and separateness to become institutionalized. We are one community.

Finally, What happened to Marek Svačina’s commentary on the Velka? Everything was OK until the horses came to the Taxis (Obstacle 4). Then Marek said, “They’ve managed it - but not all  of them ….. one or two of them did not get over.“  The director did not show a repeat of the horses jumping the Taxis. Marek was left unsupported by the director and unsure for at least six more fences which horses were still in the race. I could only imagine that the director thought the Taxis was unsuitable for live viewing on public television and had forgotten to let Marek know that he was going to censor it. This made a nonsense of the first third of the race. Fortunately, the last third of the race was the most important part, and – despite missing what happened to Godfrey at the Taxis - Marek rallied and conveyed the dramatic finish in his Voice of the Velka Pardubicka tones. To enjoy the marvellous performance of Godfrey and Jan Faltejsek to the full, you should watch the race, and what happened at the Taxis, again. 

Meanwhile, Dostihový spolek, organisers of events at Pardubice racecourse, and the Czech Steeplechase Association have for the last thirty years been leading efforts to make the Velka Pardubicka less dangerous for horses and riders, and more acceptable to modern spectators. Very serious efforts have been made, while generally the course of the Velka continues to maintain visually many of the historical features that make the race unique and special, and at the same time bringing down the number of ugly and dangerous incidents.

The big problem that remains, in my opinion, is the Taxis, which is taken only once each year, in the Velka Pardubicka, but in front of a huge audience. The problem of the notorious Taxis Ditch has gradually been resolved by filling it in and providing a more or less flat landing space. What remains to be resolved is the problem of the Taxis Fence. It is still a long jump, and horses that do not manage to take it well get stab wounds, are unbalanced on landing, and pile ups still occur, as for example in 2023. This happens in full view of the ladies and gentlemen on the balconies of the Town Stand. One solution would be to get rid of the Taxis fence, too, but that would upset even more people than it would please. Might it be possible to reduce the length (from front to back) of the fence considerably, and also reduce its height a little, without greatly reducing the visual  effect of the Taxis?

It is most unlikely that the Czech public or most of the Czech horseracing community will in future demand a rougher and tougher Velka. It has not been easy for experts to combine the old-fashioned look with modern safety requirements. Similar issues have been faced at Aintree, where the racecourse has lost most of its historical effects, and now has a 21^st century look, rather than a 19^th century look. Thanks to the efforts of the Czech horseracing community,  Pardubice racecourse still maintains its 19^th century appearance, while making considerable efforts to meet modern requirements for the safety of horses and riders, and the enjoyment of spectators.